{"id":251755,"date":"2020-09-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/blog\/time-to-resolve\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:12:37","slug":"time-to-resolve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/blog\/time-to-resolve\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to Resolve (TTR)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Time to Resolution (TTR) is a metric to measure the elapsed time it takes for support to resolve a case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Time to Resolution (TTR)<\/h2>\n

TTR measures the\u00a0elapsed time<\/em>\u00a0from when \u201cthe clock starts\u201d for a new case until the time the \u201cclock stops\u201d.\u00a0 Note that TTR focuses on the elapsed time and not the level of effort or time invested to close a case.<\/p>\n

Here are some factors to take into consideration when measuring Time to Resolve a case.<\/p>\n

TTR Inputs<\/h3>\n

Clock Starts = Time that the case is open.<\/h4>\n

Idle Time = Clock is stopped pending customer or dev team input.<\/h4>\n

Clock Stops = Time that a case is closed.<\/h4>\n

TTR = Clock Starts \u2013 Idle Time\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Clock Stops<\/h4>\n

<\/h2>\n

Starting the Clock<\/h2>\n

When does the clock start?<\/h4>\n

Determining when the clock starts depends upon what you want to measure.\u00a0 In most situations the clock starts when a case is accepted, and work begins to resolve the issue.\u00a0 This means that Support has accepted ownership for the case and has the ability (and responsibility) to actively work it.\u00a0 Consider:<\/p>\n

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  • If you want to measure elapsed time from the customer\u2019s perspective, then you want to start the clock when the customer opens the case.<\/li>\n
  • If you want to measure the time it takes to resolve cases once put in front of a qualified support rep, then start the clock once the case is assigned (e.g. no front-line or queue time).<\/li>\n
  • If you want to measure the total time to \u201chandle\u201d a case (non-technical and technical) start the clock when you acknowledge receipt of the case.<\/li>\n
  • If you want to measure adherence to SLAs then start the clock when you are obligated to begin work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Voice | Phone<\/h4>\n

    For cases reported by phone the clock may start when the call is initially answered, even if it is a non-technical individual.\u00a0 This implies that entitlement checking, and queue time will be included in the metric.\u00a0 Alternatively, the clock may not start until the case is assigned to a support rep.<\/p>\n

    Digital<\/h4>\n

    For case reported digitally the clock may not start for some time after the initial request is posted or e-mail sent.\u00a0 Many companies allow customers to report cases 24 x 7, however active service hours may only cover local business hours, thus, the clock does not start until the case is \u201cpicked up\u201d from the electronic queue during the next business day.<\/p>\n

    Service Level Agreements<\/h4>\n

    The clock does not start for cases reported outside of entitled service windows. If a customer submits a case at midnight but is only entitled to business hour support the earliest the clock will start is at the beginning of the next business day.<\/p>\n

    Stopping the Clock<\/h2>\n

    When does the Clock Stop?\u00a0 As with starting the clock, stopping the clock is all about what you want to measure.\u00a0 Often \u201cresolution\u201d and \u201cclose\u201d are used synonymously.\u00a0 They may coincide, but they are two different events.<\/p>\n

    Resolution<\/h3>\n

    Resolution is when a reasonable suggestion is provided to a customer in response to a question\/issue.\u00a0 Unfortunately, delivery of a solution may not result in a closed case.\u00a0 The difference between resolution and closure is customer acceptance.<\/p>\n

    Restoration<\/h3>\n

    Another event may come in the form of a \u201crestoration.\u201d\u00a0 This is typically used to describe a temporary workaround. This means that a customer issues has been addressed and functionality or performance<\/p>\n

    levels have been fully or partially restored.\u00a0 It does not imply that a permanent fix or solution has been offered. A restoration is not resolution or closure.<\/p>\n

    Close<\/h3>\n

    Closure is the final event for a case.\u00a0 This is when a permeant answer has been provided to the customer and the customer has accepted the answer and no longer expects further effort.<\/p>\n

    Note that a resolution may be offered, but fail to resolve an issue, thus the case is not closed if further action is offered.<\/p>\n

    An answer may be provided that does not satisfy the customer, but, no further action will be taken, thus the case is closed.<\/p>\n

    The Most Practical Approach<\/h3>\n

    Many companies close cases after a resolution is offered (assumes success).\u00a0 Most allow customers to reopen these cases.<\/p>\n

    Pro:<\/strong>\u00a0 Assumes a solution will permanently resolve a case and does not require that a customer confirm solution.<\/p>\n

    Con:<\/strong>\u00a0 Some customers that do not get the answer they want will open a new, separate case.<\/p>\n

    The Most Accurate Approach<\/h3>\n

    Some companies only close a case when it is confirmed closed by a customer.<\/p>\n

    Pro:<\/strong>\u00a0 Assures that the case closure rate reflects confirmed closed cases.<\/p>\n

    Con:<\/strong>\u00a0Cases may be open longer pending customer verification.\u00a0 Excess burden on all parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Time to Resolution (TTR) is a metric to measure the elapsed time it takes for Support to resolve a case. This article introduces the definition and inputs required to measure …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":251756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[385,27,46],"tags":[89,128,79,37,129,91,98,121,33,123,124],"class_list":["post-251755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metrics","category-insights","category-support","tag-case-management","tag-crm","tag-csat","tag-customer-support","tag-effectiveness","tag-efficiency","tag-escalation","tag-fcr","tag-metrics","tag-time-to-resolution","tag-ttr","post_outcome-benchmark-performance","post_outcome-deliver-support-effectively","post_activity-case-management","post_activity-issues-resolution","post_activity-measure","post_activity-support"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251755"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254961,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251755\/revisions\/254961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servicexrg.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}